Homemade Marshmallows

So I’ve been wanting to try something new and different for a while. The holiday season is the perfect time to do it. Who doesn’t love marshmallows! The holidays have so many uses for marshmallows; sweet potato casserole, hot chocolate, toasting over the fire on a chilly night, decorating a ginger bread house…the list goes on. So, here you go a clean-ish marshmallow recipe. I say clean-ish because well, gelatin is not a 100% clean product. But, these babies are MUCH better than store bought ones and if you use the right brand of gelatin you can ensure you are going the cleanest you can.

I got this recipe from MommyPotamus, an awesome food blog. Click here to visit it. I tried a couple different marshmallow recipes that included different ingredients or cooking methods but this is the one I came back to because its simple and works everytime. This blog post include a video that was so incredibly helpful. Be sure to watch the video, it’s really helpful.

Do not be intimidated by these marshmallows – they are not hard at all! However, it is important that you have the right kitchen gadgets. A stand mixer is not absolutely necessary but is extremely helpful. You will definitely need a candy thermometer. The right temperature is necessary for these to work. A regular cooking thermometer will not work for this, it has to be a candy thermometer.

These can be really fun. You can cut them in any shape you want or even use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. I actually made two batches, one with organic non-gmo powered sugar and one with organic 100% cocoa powder. They were delicious!

My 4 year old ate about 10 of these before I could stop her. She loved them! I’m excited to try cooking with them, I have a plan to make sweet potato casserole.

Put the gelatin and half of the water in a bowl that works with your electric mixer. (You can use a hand mixer, but be prepared to be there for a while.)

Let the gelatin sit while you complete the other steps.

Add the honey, remaining water, and vanilla to a small to medium pot. Insert the candy thermometer.

Turn the honey mixture on medium high heat. Stir it occasionally. You want this to boil until it comes to the soft ball (between 270 and 280 degrees F) stage which should be marked on the candy thermometer.

While the honey is cooking, place two sheets of parchment paper in a square baking dish. Lay one over the other and leave the piece long to make handles on either side. You'll need those later.Put about 1/8 cup of powdered sugar or arrow root powder (or whatever you chose) in the base of the baking dish, on top of the parchment paper. This helps with sticking and should just be a thin layer.

Once the honey reaches the soft ball stage, turn on the mixer (using the whisk attachment) and slowly add the honey mixture to the gelatin. Start with a slower speed and work up to a faster speed.

Let the marshmallows mix for about 10 minutes, or until it is a dense marshmallow fluff consistency.

Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread to smooth and even out.

Sprinkle the powdered sugar, cocoa powder or arrowroot on top of the marshmallows and spread to make a thin layer.

Set the marshmallows on the counter and let sit at room temperature at least 8 hours or overnight.

Using the handles you created with the parchment paper, lift the marshmallows out of the dish and place on a flat surface.

Carefully peel the parchment paper away from the sides of the marshmallows. Coat the newly uncovered sides with the sugar, cocoa or arrowroot.

Using a long sharp knife cut the marshmallows into squares or any shape you'd like. You can use cookie cutters as well to makes shapes.

Allow the cut marshmallows to sit at room temperature to harden slightly. Enjoy!